Diverse Internet Experience as a Predictor for Online Privacy Concern

by Green, David A

This study describes results of an online survey of students enrolled in the Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The survey was conducted to assess the diversity of the students’ Internet experience and how concerned they are with their online privacy.

People have different levels of concern about online privacy, and concern for privacy reflects in part the social, political, and cultural climate of a society at a point in time. It has been suggested that the extent and variety of online activities in which a user engages can be a good predictor of some kinds of Internet attitudes, including attitudes about information privacy. This study tests the hypothesis that users’ concern with online privacy is related to users’ diversity of experience on the Internet. The results showed no significant relationship between diverse Internet experience and overall online privacy concern. However, significant correlations were found for specific variables, such as the relationship between using the Internet for making calls and concern for government or service provider monitoring activity.